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NIJ's Office of Science and Technology

Criminal justice practitioners, such as law enforcement and corrections officers, increasingly rely on technology to do their
jobs.Through its Office of Science and Technology, NIJ (1) serves as the national focal point for work on criminal justice
technology and (2) carries out programs that, by providing equipment, training and technical assistance, improve the safety
and effectiveness of criminal justice technology as well as access to that technology by local, state, tribal and federal
enforcement agencies.The Office of Science and Technology’s principal tasks in supporting this mission include:

Scientific and technical support to NIJ’s RDT&E projects, particularly the identification of criminal justice technology needs.

Support for the transfer and adoption of technology into practice by law enforcement and corrections agencies, courts and
crime laboratories.

Assistance in developing and disseminating technology guidelines and standards.

Technology assistance, information and support to law enforcement and corrections agencies, courts and crime laboratories.

The office of science and Technology manages the NLECTC system as a whole and the individual centers within it, except for
the Forensic sciences Technology center of excellence, which is managed by the office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences.